Doppler Weather Radar Picks Up Car Blazing Down Highway at 210 KPH

Atmospheric conditions were just right early this morning in the Chicago area for the weather service to pick up motorists driving down Interstate 55 and 57 using Doppler radar. Apparently, one of these motorists was late for an important meeting because a car was clocked doing around 210 kph. It’s hard to see, but the green and blue specs in the area circled above indicate the high speed vehicle.

Sometimes, when a warm layer of air rolls in up above the surface, the beam from the Doppler radar can be deflected towards the ground—picking up traffic and other objects much like a police radar gun. The weather service alluded to the fact that the “speeder” could have been nothing more than noise, but it still makes you wonder how long it will be before they figure out how to bust motorists from space. [NWS via Jalopnik]